Digital Commons Network^™

What's Your Currency And How Do You Use It? Exploring The Ways Staff On Campus Use Non-Monetary Forms Of Payment: A Grounded Theory Study Of Nonmaterial Culture, Olivia Rosalind Dodson

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to create a model that illustrates different types of personal currency among staff at Freedom One University (a pseudonym) and how that currency is being used, by exploring motives for this behavior and gathering information on awareness of this behavior. A constructivist grounded theory approach was utilized as it allows for the analysis of data to construct what is needed from the next set of gathered data (Cooney, 2011). Through grounded theory, a reason for an event, or possibly the cause for an event will become clear, which a theory will explain …

Cripping And Deafening Covid-19- Re-Framing A Pandemic In Higher Education, Wendy S. Harbour

International Journal on Responsibility

This article looks at ways institutions of higher education (IHEs) can use the models of disability, disability studies, and Deaf studies to “crip” and “Deafen” their response to COVID-19. A review of previous epidemics and pandemics, including yellow fever, the 1918 influenza epidemic, polio, and HIV/AIDS disease, disability, and Deafness. Health services, counseling centers, and disability resource centers expanded over time, and IHEs still rely heavily on them for health, disability, and Deaf concerns. By cripping and Deafening COVID-19 responses, higher education can use a more holistic view of the pandemic, making illness, mental health, disability and Deafness the responsibility …

Dialogues Between First-Generation Mexican American Female Students In Higher Education And Their Parents, Rosa Elena Zavala Morales

Master's Theses

First-generation female Mexican American students are part of the growing Latinx population of students entering American college campuses all over the country. They are students who have had to jump over several obstacles such as traditional gender roles and structures of inequality to attend university on their own. But they are not fully alone. Loyalty to family is a central core value many Mexican American women believe in, making family an integral part of their journey in higher education. Additionally, traditional gender roles, in conjunction with family, play a part in the responsibilities they take at home with their families. …

Haudenosaunee Men And Masculinities In Higher Education: Perceptions, Reminders, And Responsibilities To Community, Hugh Burnam

Dissertations - ALL

Native men in higher education experience among the lowest persistence and graduation rates in the United States (Condition of Education, 2020). Native men are subjected to systemic barriers brought by settler colonialism such as racism and patriarchal hegemony which negatively impact their perceptions of masculinity and forces them to move away from their traditional cultural teachings (Boyden, et al., 2014; Innes & Anderson, 2015). These systemic barriers also detrimentally impact the perceptions and experiences of Native men in higher education (Poolaw, 2018; Still, 2019). The experiences of Native men in higher education still need to be explored further (Reyes & …

Office Of Equity And Inclusion Newsletter - May 2023, Office Of Equity And Inclusion, East Tennessee State University

Office of Equity and Inclusion Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Partner Up! Building Lasting Relationships With (The Right) Campus Stakeholders, Christine N. Mook, Lauren Camarillo

Staff Publications

Though the collegiate library is capable of functioning on its own, there is a big difference between functioning and thriving. A key to supporting a thriving academic library is interdepartmental collaboration, along with the ongoing growth and development of interdisciplinary partnerships. When beginning the collaborative process, it is imperative to identify the purpose of a partnership to make it as meaningful to your institution as possible. Multiple details must be considered, such as identifying appropriate collaborative partners, determining collaborative opportunities, and collecting meaningful metrics. Illustrative of this, the Collin College - Frisco Campus Library has been steadily strengthening its mutually …

Continuing Education At Purdue University, 1975–2019, Thomas Robertson, Michael Eddy

Continuing Education

Continuing Education at Purdue University, 1975–2019 is intended to provide a follow-up to the monograph written by Dr. Frank K. Burrin after his retirement as director of Purdue Continuing Education in 1984, Continuing Education at Purdue University: The First Hundred Years (1874–1974). Burrin became ill shortly after his retirement, and he was not able to complete his project. His notes were later compiled, edited, and published by Elizabeth Boyd Thompson.

This monograph presents forty-five years of the history of Continuing Education and Conferences at Purdue under the leadership of eight deans and directors.

Policy Over Publicity: Evaluating Andrew Cuomo's 'Outrageoulsy Ambitious And Irrefutably Smart' Education Spending Dilemma, Colin Mckillop

Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development

(Excerpt)

For low- and middle-income high school students in New York, the prospect of attending college, especially on a full-time basis, has become increasingly bleak in recent years; tuition and other attendance costs continue to grow without a rise in education quality, “sixty-one percent of students graduate with college debt,” and debt held at graduation is increasing at “almost double the rate of inflation.” Thus, such students and their families were likely ecstatic on January 3, 2017, when Andrew Cuomo, the former Governor of New York, held an aggrandizing press conference to highlight the “1st signature proposal of his 2017 …

Disability Justice In Higher Education: The Lived Experiences Of Disabled White Women Disability Services Directors, Emily Gaspar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eight disabled white women disability services directors shared their experiences working in disability services in higher education. The ten principles of disability justice provided the framework for this interpretative phenomenological analysis. Individual interviews were used to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of the participants with specific focus on disability identity of the professionals working in disability services and how their identities inform their campus experiences, along with how their intersectional identities inform their disability identity. Participants were found to experience ableism and oppression, a broad spectrum of relationships, disability solidarity, disability disclosure, identity hierarchy, disability management and coping …

Faculty’S Experiences Teaching English Language Learners In Higher Education, Chedia A. Ayari

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Conducted in a large size four-year state university, the purpose of this qualitative study was to learn how faculty of multiple disciplines examined and made meaning of their instructional practices and decisions when teaching ELL students, how they modified their instruction to meet the needs of ELLs, and what they saw as areas of struggle when working with this student population. Critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970) was used as a theoretical framework to further investigate the complex nature of how higher education faculty make meaning of their instructional experiences when teaching ELLs within the hierarchical structures inherent in higher education and …

The Gendered Experience Of Female Resident Assistants, Christa Rahl

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This paper sought to answer, “What is it like to be a female resident assistant (RA) in a society that has historically privileged men?” I structured this as a phenomenology within the transformative paradigm. I interviewed four participants twice with a prompt between interviews and one participant once. These participants were at least 19 years old and had held been an RA for at least one school year during the last five years.

I worked in the realm of Joan Acker’s (1990) theory of gendered organizations. I specifically had findings within the constructions she wrote about such as the division …

The Role Of Partisan Politics On Support For Public Institutions Of Higher Education, Jason G. Ramage

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over several decades, a greater share of the expense of earning a college degree has shifted to students and their families as appropriations to public institutions of higher education have declined as a percentage of the overall cost to educate a student. Tuition has greatly outpaced inflation during this period, while inflation-adjusted household income has remained relatively flat. Despite all the benefits that accrue to both the college graduate and society as a whole, for the less affluent, a college education is becoming increasingly difficult to attain. Many decide the financial barriers are simply too great and elect not to …

From The Lens Of (In)Visibility: A Photovoice Inquiry Into How Community Colleges Can Advance Filipino/A/X American Student Resilience, Rangel Velez Zarate

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The dearth of research on Filipino/a/x American (FilAm) community college students perpetuates the narrative that they are regarded as “invisible,” receiving limited academic and social support. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent violence and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) has exacerbated the already distressing academic and racialized experiences of FilAm students.

In this qualitative study, nine FilAm students who attended a community college in the Western United States participated in an online photovoice project which visualized their personal reflections and specific academic needs through digital photos and written narratives. Findings from this study indicated …

Examining The Relationship Between Technological Skills And Success In Higher Education Among Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, Ebony Cubias

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background and purpose: Research has tended to focus on the outcomes of how digital inclusion for incarcerated individuals has helped reduce the rate of recidivism rather than the success rate in higher education for formerly incarcerated individuals. This study was implemented to examine the relationship between technological skills and academic achievement amongst formerly incarcerated individuals in higher education. Methods: This observational study used cross-sectional data from participants recruited from Project Rebound in California State University San Bernardino (CSUSB). Participants were recruited using purposive sampling method. Students who participated were over the age of 18, formerly incarcerated, and currently enrolled in …

The Erasure Of Rural West Texas Voices In Higher Education Institutions An Autoethnographic Study Of Minoritized Students Of West Texas In Their Journey To Obtain Success In Higher Education Institutions, David Whaley-Weems Sr

All Dissertations

I was once told there is a person in the world who has locked within his or her mind the framework for the cure for cancer or even the ability to create an energy model that will revolutionize how society consumes natural resources. Now imagine if I told you I have seen that person alive and well working as an oil well driller on a rig in Mentone, Texas. The first question most people would ask is, “Why is the person drilling in the middle of nowhere Texas instead of impacting the world by way of displaying his or her …

“From An Elephant Into A Ballerina:” The Future Of Higher Education From Senior Leaders At Public Very High Research Institutions, Sarah Cathleen Rice Denison

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose for conducting the study was to identify how Very High Research university senior leaders at public institutions in the United States described their vision of the future of higher education over the next 25 years. Specifically, the study provided an opportunity for university chancellors and presidents to describe their versions of what the future holds for higher education and how they are preparing for that future. A vision for the future included senior leader’s perspectives on three elements of the university: the university’s mission and purpose, academics, and student services. Their experience in higher education combined with their …

The Pacifican May 2023, University Of The Pacific

All Issues - Student Newspaper, The Pacifican, Pacific Weekly

No abstract provided.

Digital Capital And Belonging In Universities: Quantifying Social Inequalities In The Philippines, Wilfred Luis Clamor, Czarina Saloma-Akpedonu

Sociology & Anthropology Department Faculty Publications

This study examines social inequalities in Philippine universities that were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach using a national sample of 677 university students was utilized to measure the mediating role of digital capital on social inequalities associated with belonging to academic spaces. For the purpose of determining direct and indirect impacts, structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed. Sociodemographic (i.e., gender, age, type of residence, and family income) and educational (i.e., type of university, year in the university, and excellence criterion) characteristics were the direct predictors that were examined as exogenous variables for both digital capital and belonging. …

Exploring Academic Librarians' Lack Of Experiential Learning In Teaching College Freshmen Information Literacy Skills: An Interpretive Phenomenological Study, Pearl Gloria Adzei-Stonnes

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore academic librarians’ lack of experiential learning in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills in four-year higher education institutions across the United States. The central research question was – “what challenges do academic librarians experience in teaching information literacy skills?” – Twelve academic librarians who were involved in teaching college freshmen information literacy skills were examined on the phenomenon. Three different data collection methods used were questionnaire, letter writing and interviews. The theory that guided this study was Kolb’s experiential learning. Kolb’s experiential learning theory emphasized the process of learning in …

Comparing The Experience Of Pre-Service Teachers In The First And Final Semesters In Online Learning Using A Focus Group Study, Suyatno Suyatno, Sibawaihi Sibawaihi, Wantini Wantini, Dzihan Khilmi Ayu Firdausi, Lilis Patimah

The Qualitative Report

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, online learning has become the innovation and an alternative virtual education adopted by universities, due to campus closures. The sudden adoption of the innovation without prior preparation and training causes the ineffective implementation of online learning in most institutions. Based on this description, insufficient information is available regarding the experiences of the student population, which are the most affected by online learning in higher education. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences of pre-service teachers regarding their numerous abilities to provide a good online learning program. Using a qualitative focus group study design, data …

Role Of Service Quality Factors In Word Of Mouth Through Student Satisfaction, Rizwana Rasheed, Aamir Rashid

Publications and Research

Purpose

Service quality in academics is imperatively crucial. Therefore, the purpose of the current research is to examine the effect of academic service quality factors in higher education institutions which mainly focuses on students' satisfaction and the extent of recommending the same institution to other students.

Design/methodology/approach

This research evaluated the effect of service quality on student satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM). Data were collected from 200 respondents from various business schools, and hypotheses were tested through a quantitative method using partial least square-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS to validate the measurement model.

Findings

The …

Crisis Meets Opportunity: Empowering Faculty When Returning To The Higher Education Classroom​, Nicole Luongo, Michael Finetti, Kimberly Case, Jay Garrels, Renee Evans

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

This article presents information surrounding how the COVID-19 crisis can lead to opportunities for empowering growth in faculty course development and delivery. The authors show how higher education instructors have implemented remote teaching experiences they used during the pandemic to create engaging learning opportunities for students as they are returning to the higher education classroom. The article explores innovative ideas for communication and instruction, equity issues, and inclusive practices. The authors address the overall changing higher education climate and share their personal experiences transitioning from teaching in a face-to-face setting to …

On Becoming Online Educators: Developing Hybrid Learning-Centered Pedagogy, Rachel Toncelli Edd, Leila Rosa Phd

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Recent global events pushed in-person learning to online formats. As K-12 teachers struggled with shifting from in-person to online teaching while adapting and adjusting instruction, and higher education prepared to do the same, two faculty members in a TESOL teacher preparation program joined forces to question assumptions about online teaching, reflect on praxis, and revisit pedagogy and practices through a critical autoethnographic study. Building from adult constructivist learning theory and collegial inquiry, the researchers utilized the pandemic as a stage for innovation and an opportunity to study their own ability, as …

Full Issue: Journal On Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 7, Issue 1, Spring 2023

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The full-length Spring 2023 issue (Volume 7, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version (with downloadable EPUB format) here.

The Spring 2023 issue presents research and guidance on topics related to student self-reflection, participatory learning, and returning to the in-person learning following the COVID-19 pandemic. The first article takes a critical approach to understanding pedagogy with adult learners by involving students in the creation of course syllabi as a way to challenge ideologies related the roles of instructor and students. The second article blends research and narrative to explore how the experiences of …

The Dialectic Transformation Of Teaching And Learning In Community Colleges Through Ungrading., Grace Pai, Jennifer Corby, Nicole Kras, Dusana Podlucká, Midori Yamamura

Publications and Research

As five Andrew J. Mellon Transformative Learning in the Hu-manities Faculty Fellows in the City University of New York, we capture in this essay the dialectical experience of ungrading our community college courses with our students. Drawing on case examples of implementing un-grading in a range of courses and a thematic analysis of our students’ reflec-tion submissions of being ungraded, we argue that ungrading is an effective pedagogical tool for debunking a deficits-based, outcomes-focused perspec-tive that is pervasive in studies on and of community college students. Through various ways of building student agency, self-reflection, and feed-back into our courses, we …

Transition To Distance Learning: Student Experience And Communication During The Covid-19 Pandemic In The United Arab Emirates, Soumaya Abdellatif, Aizhan Shomotova, Safouane Trabelsi, Salwa Husain, Najeh Alsalhi, Mohamed Eltahir

All Works

The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prompted higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to switch to online learning for the safety of their citizens. The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between four indicators of digital learning experience and the intensity of student socio-pedagogical communication after the transition to distance learning. The data were collected from Ajman University, a private university in the UAE, during the spring of 2020. The sample consisted of 381 students who were surveyed using an online survey tool or email. First, this study found that the majority of students …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experience Of Creator-Practitioners Of Open Educational Resources And Practices In The United States, Alex Henry Wanstrath

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to describe the lived experience of creator-practitioners of open educational resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP) in United States (U.S.) higher education institutions. The theory guiding this study is Vygotsky and Bruner’s constructivist theories, as they describe both the cognitive and social aspects of content creation. Eleven current instructors from colleges and universities across the U.S. participated in this study. These participants had used OER for at least one academic term, were current instructors at their institution, created their own OER, and engaged in OEP in at least one of their …

A Transcendental Phenomenological Investigation Of Perceived Spirituality And Persistence Of Jamaican Women Who Have Received A Tertiary Degree, Ashleigh Jacqueline Yearde

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to discover the perceived spirituality and persistence for Jamaican women who had received a tertiary degree at schools in Jamaica. At this stage in the research, a tertiary degree was generally defined as all formal post-secondary education, including public and private universities, colleges, technical training institutes, and vocational schools. The theory guiding this research was Lev Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory. Constructivists believe that knowledge was informed by perspective and shaped by values. The theoretical framework for the study was based on the positive foundation of social support in the learning process. Moustakas’s …

Navigating The Turbulence Into Calmer Waters In Higher Education Digital Learning, Amanda E. Major Edd, Pmp, Cptd, Josh Strigle, Melanie Jackson, Willie Freeman

FDLA Journal

Digital learning professionals and faculty are navigating turbulent waters in higher education’s current climate fueled by career reflections and the political landscape. All that is needed to improve the organizational climate is the inspiration to engage in meaningful digital learning work, whether enhancing course interactions, engaging students, uncovering course modality best practices, or improving access to higher education. True to our mission, we adapt, lead change, and persist.

Now What?, David L. Hart Jr, Rebecca J. Armstrong

FDLA Journal

NOW WHAT?

David Hart, Ph.D. and Rebecca Armstrong, Ph.D.

Making the decision to pursue an advanced degree is certainly commendable. To add to one’s knowledge base is ambitious and the results of such a commitment are monumental. However, it goes without saying that in that scheme, life’s challenges are ever-present, and along with other given responsibilities, the concept of time becomes a faded memory. If that is not enough, COVID-19 presented all degree-seekers with issues that seemed insurmountable. Many decided that virtual learning programs would provide an environment that allowed for success in the academic arena despite the forces that …